Math  /  Trigonometry

QuestionSelect the correct answer.
In right triangle ABC,AA B C, \angle A and B\angle \boldsymbol{B} are complementary angles and sinA=B9\sin A=\frac{B}{9}. What is cosB\cos B ? A. 81717\frac{8 \sqrt{17}}{17} B. 89\frac{8}{9} C. 179\frac{\sqrt{17}}{9} D. 178\frac{\sqrt{17}}{8}

Studdy Solution

STEP 1

What is this asking? If the sine of angle A is 8/9, and angles A and B are complementary in a right triangle, what's the cosine of angle B? Watch out! Don't mix up sine and cosine, and remember what "complementary" means!

STEP 2

1. Define Complementary Angles
2. Relate Sine and Cosine
3. Calculate Cosine B

STEP 3

Alright, so we're dealing with **complementary angles**.
What does that even mean?
It means they add up to 90\mathbf{90^\circ}!
Since we're in a right triangle, and one angle is 90\mathbf{90^\circ}, the other two *must* be complementary.
So, we know A+B=90\angle A + \angle B = 90^\circ.

STEP 4

Now, here's the magical connection between sine and cosine of complementary angles: the sine of an angle is equal to the cosine of its complement!
Think of it this way: in a right triangle, if you switch your focus from one acute angle to the other, the opposite side becomes the adjacent side, and *voilà*!
Sine turns into cosine.

STEP 5

Mathematically, we can write this as sin(A)=cos(90A)\sin(A) = \cos(90^\circ - A).
Since A+B=90\angle A + \angle B = 90^\circ, we can rewrite this as 90A=B90^\circ - A = B.
Therefore, sin(A)=cos(B)\sin(A) = \cos(B).

STEP 6

We're given that sin(A)=89\sin(A) = \frac{8}{9}.
And we just figured out that sin(A)=cos(B)\sin(A) = \cos(B).
So, guess what?
We're practically done!

STEP 7

If sin(A)=89\sin(A) = \frac{8}{9} and sin(A)=cos(B)\sin(A) = \cos(B), then cos(B)\cos(B) *must* also be 89\frac{8}{9}!

STEP 8

So, the cosine of angle B is 89\frac{8}{9}, which corresponds to answer choice B!

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